Pumpkin time again

Yesterday our church had a Harvest Party out at the Heritage Center S of town, & our Square Dance club performed & invited folks to join us on the dance floor! Was a big hit. A gal in her 80s who was a club member, but has had health issues & has memory loss joined the 'lesson,' & didn't miss a beat! Her daughter was in tears, watching mama out on the dance floor, helping her partner figure out where to go! So sweet.

I brought pumpkin soup & a big green salad to the potluck - this fall I got a copy of Gluten Free Girl & The Chef's wonderful cook/story book, & they have been sponsoring a weekly recipe 'cook off' - the first week was making their pumpkin soup! YUM!

Chantrelles were just hitting our farmer's market, so I made mine with fresh chantrelles, leeks, celery root & coconut milk (replacing red onion, celery & cream :) Have made it several times - it's great!

I roast the squash or pumpkin whole, as suggested by my CSA farmers Katie & Casey, till soft enough for a knife to easily pierce, then cut & scoop meat & seeds out. I roast the seeds - Shauna has a great recipe for pumpkin seed hummus on her blog.

PUMPKIN SOUP (adapted from the recipe in Gluten Free Girl & the Chef)

5# pumpkin or squash - roasted & meat scooped out, seeds roasted & set aside

2 Tbsp coconut oil
half dozen chantrelle mushrooms (or others in season - chantrelles are
nice & orange)
* saute the chantrelles & set aside

2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 large carrot - large diced
1 leek (white part) or onion - diced
2 stalks celery or 1/2" slice of celery root (celeriac) large diced
5 cloves garlic, smashed & peeled
* saute the veggies in a medium stock pot, ~ 10 minutes till soft add 1 Tbsp chopped fresh sage, saute till you smell the herb

1 medium sweet potato, peeled; medium diced
1/2 tsp fresh nutmeg (freshly grated)
1 bay leaf
2 quarts veggie stock
* toss sweet potato into the stock pot with the other veggies, cover with stock & add herbs. Add salt & fresh ground pepper. Bring to boil, reduce heat & simmer about 15 minutes.

Finishing: fish out the bay leaf, & puree about 2/3 of the soup in batches in a blender or food processor. Taste & season with salt & pepper - add 1/2 Cup coconut milk, & reserved chantrelles.

If you wish, add roasted pumpkin seeds to each bowl (Shauna has her method for roasting with the pumpkin seed spread recipe) I roast my pumpkin/squash whole, then scoop out the seeds, & put them in a pan, sprinkle with salt, & return to the hot oven for ~ 10 minutes or till they're lightly toasted.

Made the soup - yumm - then made a green salad, & a fun, creamy vegan PUMPKIN DRESSING!
1/3 cup pumpkin
1/3 Cup Coconut milk Kefir (plain)
1/3 Cup olive Oil
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (I used Garam Masala)
1 Tbsp balsamic or cider vinegar
Blend till smoothe
This has been VERY POPULAR at my daughter's house!! The girls love helping MAKE kefir, & sometimes drink it ... my daughter has recently found she's sensitive to whey, as well as egg yokes (& somewhat sensitive to the whites) ... so some of the creamy dressing options aren't good for her.

I've been making kefir steadily since receiving the grains in the mail back in the spring. I still drink a cup of milk (coconut) kefir morning & evening, but haven't been making the water kefir. I tend to use canned coconut milk, & add 1/2 scoop cal/mag powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda, & 1/2 tsp maple syrup, honey or agave nectar. Cover with a piece of muslin & fasten with a rubber band, & leave at room temp 24-36 hours.
Then strain the 'grains' out, & store the cultured kefir in the fridge; starting a new batch in a wide mouth quart jar. The girls usually want a bit of honey or agave nectar in theirs (less than 1/2 tsp!) & usually want to help me strain & start a new batch when they visit.

Happy fall - soup's on!

Movin' Movin'

I'm still feeling good participating in the Lenten 'moving' challenge - Friday was an awesome 'blue sky' kind of day - during a break (after walking the grand daughter to playschool in AM) I went to the park close to my office, & did Soaring Crane Qigong in the sunshine - such a nice way to be movin' & be outside!

Saturday was my 2x a month 'morning coffee' with my Moms group - walked there & back home (~ 26 blocks) & though I thought of doing more movement, mostly poked around learning more about using coconut oil, & looking up a 'Ranch' type dressing recipes for a dear gal friend. My daughter is a Ranch aficionado, & says that she has given up trying to find one that tastes right without egg yolks (she's allergic).
When my kids were young, I made mayonnaise, using eggs from our own chickens & fresh greens, so decided to try my hand at a creamy dressing.

This morning I used my tiny food processor to make a Creamy Shiitake Mushroom & Garlic dressing / Mayo:
I began with flax seed I'd soaked overnight & ground in the processor, (~ 1/4 C) 1/2 C organic sour cream with a T of lemon juice,
1/2 tsp prepared mustard,
a bit of salt & pepper,
coconut oil (1/4 - 1/2 C) & whizzed that.

Then I sauteed a garlic clove & one shiitake mushroom in a tsp of coconut oil, & chopped a bit when cool, then added
1 tsp curry powder
4 sprigs of fresh parsley (from my garden - overwintered).
I added olive oil in a stream through the hole in the top (about tsp at a time, then whizz) 1/4 - 1/2 cup.

It's a bit crunchy (from the flax - most recipes call for a whole egg & maybe an extra yolk - I could have used egg whites, but decided to try flax! I soaked the flax the night before, then ground in the processor. I think I'll try grinding the flax in my coffee grinder, then soaking.
-- The mushroom was the first from this year's 'Shiitake Mushroom Garden' - so much fun to grow my own mushrooms!! Christmas '07 many vendors shared a space for several weeks, & some local mushroom folks had baskets with a 'garden', (an 'oak sawdust bale' inoculated with mushroom spores) a potholder, instruction sheet, dried mushrooms, a water sprayer & recipe sheet!
I came home & told my daughter & her fiance (now hubby) that I really, really wanted one - so there it was, Christmas morning! I got four 'flushes' from my first garden - was sad when I'd used it up!
This year, the snow interfered with their Holiday Market trip - so I didn't get my 'refill' (the 'garden' in a bag), which needs to be refrigerated overnight to 'star.t) Therefore, I was tickled to find that a newly opened year round shop that features products from many of the same jewelers, carvers, & producers of local food products, also carried dried mushrooms & the gardens . . . 2 weeks ago, one followed me home!

When this flush is done, I'll let the block 'rest' a few days, then soak overnight & put it back in its aquarium (picked up from a local thrift store) & it will produce another cycle. Each cycle lasts about a month, & I expect to get 3 or 4 total cycles - what delicious mushrooms!

** For breakfast, I made a fruit & seed smoothie:
5 raw filberts (local) ]
2 tsp sesame seeds ]
3 tsp flax seeds ] soaked overnight in ~ 2x the water
1 t sunflower seeds ]
In the AM I put the mix in the blender & added 1 1/2 C yogurt (local)
2 T canned coconut milk
2 T coconut butter (Organic Virgin)
1 T Og agave nectar
a pinch of stevia
-- blended till combined, then added ~ a cup of frozen local blueberries

I took it over to my daughters & offered her some - the girls quickly asked for some too, & thought it was pretty yummy :)

Today several people commented on how good I look! I am about a week & 1/2 into using coconut oil, plus more movement, & feel that's making a difference! I need to decide soon if I'm taking the SoulCollage faclitator training I thought I'd do - have found myself 'flitting' from interest to interst recently. Time to step back & 'sit with' what I'd like to explore.

Was looking up some info on teachings I've enjoyed for 15 or so years - & was surprised to see the teacher's 'Native American' credentials challanged! I still enjoy the heart of what was shared, so am intrigued - Dhani Ywahoo - wisdom teacher? fraud? I use her chakra chants, esp if I'm feeling ill (to good effect!) & sat with a delightful group working with these teaching in the mid 90s. (& yes, there was a fee for the workshop!) Like many things, I've take parts that resonated, & haven't explored beyond that. Do I still like the chants? Yes, no matter their origin :)

This afternoon I chatted with my biologist former hubby (at our dau-in law's BD party) about coconut oil, asked what he has heard. He commented on the nature of the fat, & that it was the only fat his younger son could tolerate/absorb before his liver transplant! (the boy had a congenital liver condition, & in '07 at 14 was able to get a new, functioning liver!)
I owe my original interest in natural foods & the reasoning behind using them to his own scientific approach to the issue - so it's fun to pick his brain.